Analysts Are Stunned By The American Eagle CEO's Mysterious Departure

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Yesterday, American Eagle announced that CEO Robert Hanson would be leaving, effective immediately.

The curt statement by the company did not elaborate on why Hanson was departing his post or where he was going next.

Despite the fact that American Eagle's sales fell 7% in the holiday season, Hanson's departure has stunned and confused Wall Street analysts.

"We thought that Mr. Hanson had created a more reliable and stronger business model than ever before at the company," Brean Capital analyst Eric Beder told MarketWatch. "We are highly disappointed in his departure."

Other analysts said they liked Hanson's strategy.

"He had been implementing meaningful and positive changes to the business," Howard Tubin with RBC Capital Markets told the Los Angeles Times. "We are a fan of Mr. Hanson, and he was, generally speaking, liked by Wall Street."